Ratchet-swivel.



UNITED STAT S Patented September 29, 1933.

PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY H. K'ROHN, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOLESTER GRANT LOOMIS, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

RATCH E,T-SWIVEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 740,026, datedSeptember 29, 1903.

Application filed November 3, 1902. Serial No. 129,982. (No model.)

To aZZ whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY HARRISON KROHN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Los Angelcs, in the county of Los Angeles and Stateof California, have invented a new and useful Ratchet-Swivel of whichthe following is a'specification.

An object of this invention is to provide a swivel rope-socket forwell-tools which will positively and invariably act to prevent therelative rotation of the connected members in one direction and to allowthe free relative rotation of said members in the other direction. I

My invention is embodied in two relatively revoluble members securedtogether and having opposed superposed faces, one of which faces has arunway oblique to the other face and amovable member in saidrunwayadapted to engage said other face to wedge apart said revolublemembers axially when the relative rotation is in one direction and tofree said members when the relative rotation is in the other direction.7

Another object of the invention is to provide a rope-socket swivel ofsuperior strength and especially adapted for ready removal from the wellby fishing-tools in case of breaking of the cable in a well of smalldiameter.

This is accomplished by the construction hereinafter more fully setforth, in which the rope is connected to the inner or lower endof theinternal swivel member, so that the 'outside member may be of reduceddiameter at its upper end. v

- A further object is to provide an improved construction by means ofwhich all danger of cloggingis avoided. This is accomplished byproviding vents close to the ratchet-faces which allow the drillings towork out from This I accomplish the tube. The loose member or memberswhich act on the inclined faces to wedge the swivel members apart areballs which rotate in ways between the ratchet-faces and which rollalong said ways to produce the wedging action'when the relative rotationof the swivel members isin one direction and which move freely when therelative rotation is in the other direction.

In carrying out this invention in its most desirable form it has beennecessary to in vent several parts which will hereinafter be describedand claimed and each of which might be used in combination with elementsconstructed differently from those shown herein.

My invention includes the ratchet-swivel and the combinations andpartsherein described and claimed.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

Figure I isa view illustrating my invention applied in a well-drillingtool, portions being shown in axial section. fragmental elevation of theswivel viewed from the'rightof Fig. I. Dotted lines indicate internalconstruction. Fig. III is a fragmental elevation from the right of Fig.I, a portion of the case of the swivel being shown in verticalmid-section. Fig. IV is a perspective view of detachable wearing partswhich form the ratchet. Fig. V is a detail of the key for fixing thelower ratchet member to the case. Fig. VI is a view of the under side ofthe upper ratchet-wearing member. Fig. VII is an enlarged sectionaldetail of the two ratchet members and thekey which is adaptled to fastenthe lower one of said members to the lower member of the swivel. LineVII 0 VII and the arrows in Fig. VI indicate the plane of section anddirection of sight.

1 is an open tubular case, having an internalshonlder 2 and screwed on asub 3 and having a ratchet member 4 fixed to it by a key 5, fitted in atransverse channel 6, and having heads 7 fitted in slots 8, which extendlengthwise of the case. The ratchet member 4 is desirably provided witha groove 9, forming an annular way for ratchet-balls 1O.

11 is a rope-socket member, having an external shoulder 12,corresponding to the in- Fig. II is a 75 ternal shoulder 2 of thecase 1. The ropesocket member 11 is fitted within the case 1 to rotaterelative thereto and is provided at the lower end with a ratchet member13, having inclined segmental ways 14 to engage the ratchet-balls 10.Said member 13 is fixed to the rope-socket member 11 by a pin 15.

16 designates antifriction-balls between the shoulders 2 and 12.

17 and 18 designate detachable antifriction wearing-plates.

19 designates a rope secured in the ropesocket member 11 in the usualway.

To assemble the members, the rope 19 will first be passed through thecase 1. Then the antifriction-plates 18 and 17 will be placed on theneck 20 of the rope-socket member 11, and then the rope will be insertedthrough said rope-socket member and fastened therein with Babbitt metalin the usual way, leaving at the lower end of said member a cavity 21 toreceive the pin a of the ratchet member 13, which will then be insertedand fastened with the pin 15. Then the balls 16 will be adjusted betweenthe plates 17 and 18, and the socket member 11 will be brought intoplace in the case 1. Then the case, with the ropesocket therein, will beinverted to bring the upper end of the case uppermost, and theratchet-balls 10, one for each of the inclined ways, will be droppedinto place. Then the ratchet member 4 will be dropped in place on top ofthe balls and adjusted to bring the channel 6 into line between theslots 8. Then the double -headed key 5 will be inserted through saidslots 8 and channel 6 and brought intoposition with its intermediateportion in said channel and its heads 7 in the slots 8 at each side ofthe body of the ratchet member 4, thus preventing said ratchet memberfrom rotating relatively to the case 1. Then the sub 3 will be screwedinto place. The pin 22 of the sub3 is of such length that when itisscrewed fully into place in the case the inner end of said pin willengage the key 5 and hold it in its seated position just described. Whenthe parts are thus secu red together, the ropesocket swivel is completedready for practical use. \Vhen thus completed, it virtually consists oftwo relatively rotatable parts or members, one of which is formed of theropesocket member 11 and its ratchet member 13, secured thereto, and theother of which is formed of the case 1, the sub 3, ratchet member 4, andkey 5, secured to said case. Between these two relatively rotatablemembers is arranged the antifriction device formed by the plates 17 and18 and balls 16 to sustain the strain in one direction and to allow freerotation of said two members relative to each other and theratchet-balls 10 between the ratchet members 4 and 13 to wedge the partsto prevent relative rotation in one direction and to release the partsto allow relative rotation in the other direction.

In practical operation with well-drilling tools the rope 19 will untwistand retwist as the strain is applied and released, and by my novelappliance whenever the strain upon the rope is relieved the rope-socketmember 11 may rotate freely under-the torsion of the rope, andimmediately the strain is applied to lift the tool, thus reversing therotation of the rope-socket member 11 and its ratchet member 13, theinclined faces 14 ride upon the movable ratchet members 10, therebycausing them to wedge the ratchet-faces apart, and thus causing abinding between the shoulders 2 and 12, so that the members areprevented from further relative rotation, and at each stroke theoperation just described will be repeated. When the parts become worn,they are readily replaced by unscrewing the sub 3 and removing the key5, whereupon the ratchet members become readily disassembled by slidingthe casing up along the rope. The ratchet members 4 and 13 are mostsusceptible to wear, and their renewal is by the construction shown madevery convenient. In case the plates 17 and 18 become worn they may bereplaced by cutting the rope 19 and withdrawing the member 11 from thecasing, whereupon the plates 17 and 18 may be readily removed. Then bydriving the rope out of the socket the same is ready for reassembling inthe manner above described.

In the drawings I have shown the device constructed for use with threeratchet-balls; but it is to be understood that I may use one or moreratchet-balls or movable members 10 without departing from the spirit ofthe invention. I deem three the most desirable for well-known mechanicalreasons, the three balls being best adapted to equally take the strain.It is also to be understood that I do not limit myself to the exact formof the ratchet-seats nor to the form of the ways in which the ballsmove. I

23 designates stops at the ends of the ways 14, which engage the ballsfor rotating them freely when the parts are relatively turned in onedirection.

The internally-screw-threaded portion 24 of the case extends inwardbeyond the lower ends of the slots 8, and the screw-threaded pin 22 isof such length when screwed home that it extends beyond said lower endsof the slots, so as to hold the key in place when the parts are inplace, as shown.

The ways 9 and 14 in the ratchet-faces are desirably curved incross-section to fit the balls 10, and since the balls rest upon thelower way when the parts rotate relatively to each other the oppositemovements of the upper and lower lines of contact between the ball andthe upper and lower ratchet-faces cause the ball to immediately wedgebetween said faces and force them apart along the axis of the swivelwhen the rotation is in one direction and to as'quickly release when therotation is in the other direction, and this wedging action takes placeregardless of the presence of oil or other substances in theratchet-ways. In case the cable should become broken when thetools arein the well, fishing-tools can be readily applied to engage the reducedupper end or hollow neck of the outer swivel member 1, so that the toolsmay be readily withdrawn from the well though the diameter of the wellis small. The bore of the rope-socket member is enlarged at the lowerend, as shown at 21, and is there cylindrical to receive the cylindricalpin a, and said rope-socket member is trans versely perforated at saidenlargementof the bore, so that the perforated pin a may be readilysecured in place by the pin 15.

It is to be understood that the bores of the case and rope-socket memberare cylindrical and the ratchet members are also cylindrical.

The ways in the ratchet-faces of the members 4 and 13 lie in circlesdescribed from the axis of said members, respectively, and the segmentalratchet-faces 14 are inclined along said axis at a greater or lessangle, as may be found desirable. There may be more or less endwise playof the parts along said axis, or such play maybe practicallyimperceptible. The openings '8 extend up beyond the upper face of thelower ratchet member at, so that they will communicate with the groovesor ways of the ratchets to free the same from drillings.

Now, having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The combination with a vertically-movable rope, of a drilling swivelsuspended thereon and comprising two relatively revoluble memberssecured together and having opposed superposed faces one of which faceshas a runway oblique to the other face; and a movable member in saidrunway adapted to engage said other face to wedge apart said revolublemembers axially when the relative rotation is inone direction, and tofree said members when the relative rotation is in the other direction.

2. The combination with a vertically-movable rope, of a drilling-swivelsuspended thereon and comprising a hollow internallyshouldered swivelmember and an externallyshouldered swivel member in the hollow member,one of said members being provided with an annular raceway and the otherof said members being provided with an inclined way and a loose memberin the inclined way and annular way to wedge the members apart when theyare relatively rotated in one direction and to free the same whenrotated in the other direction.

3. The combination of a hollow case having an internal shoulder and sideslots; a ratchet member in the case and having a transverse channel; akey in said channel and having heads in-said slots on each side of saidratchet member; a pin fastened in said case to hold said key insaidjchannel; a member in the case having an external shoulder; aratchet member fixed to the last-named member; one

in the case having a ratchet-face opposed to the other ratchet-face; akey in said openings to connect said ratchet member with said case;means for holding the key in engagem'ent with the ratchet member to.prevent the same from rotating relative to the case; and one or moremovable members between the ratchet-faces.

5. The'combination of a hollow case; a ratchet member in the case; meansfor fixing the ratchet member to the case; a revoluble member in thecase; a ratchet memberfixed on the end thereof; and a movable memberbetween the ratchet members to wedge them apart upon the relativerotation thereof in one direction, and to release them on the relativerotation in the other direction.

6. A member for a'swivel, comprising a tubular rope-sooket member whichis transversely perforated at the lower portion and has a bore which isenlarged at the lower end; a rope fastened in the enlarged portion ofsaid bore at a distance above the bottom thereof and extending outthrough the upper end of said swivel member; a detachable ratchet memberhaving a transversely-perforated portion in said enlarged portion of thebore; and a pip through the perforations of said members. 7

7. The combination of a tubular rope-socket member which is transverselyperforated at the lower end and has a bore which is enla'rged at thelower end, a rope fastened in the enlarged portion of said bore at adistance above the bottom thereof and extending out through the upperend; a detachable ratchet member having a transversely-pen foratedportion in said enlarged bore, a pin through said perforation, aninternally-shouldered tubular swivel member in which said first-namedmember is mounted, said tubular member being provided with aratchet-face,

and a loose member between the ratchetfaces to wedge said swivel membersapart endwise.

8. A hollow internally-shouldered swivel member having an internalraceway and also having a hollow neck at the upper end; anexternally-shouldered swivel member inside said internally-shoulderedmember and provided at its lower end with one or more inclined faces,and at its upperend with a neck in said hollow neck; and one or moremovable members between said raceway and iuclined face or faces to wedgethe externally and internally shouldered members endwise.

9. The combination-of atubular case; having at its upper end a reducedhollow neck; a ratchet member in the case; means for fixing the ratchetmember to the case; a revoluble member in the case; having a reducedhollow neck inside the neck of the case; a rope fastened in the neck ofsaid revoluble member; a ratchet member fixed on the inner end of therevoluble member; and a movable member between the ratchet members towedge them apart upon the relative rotation thereof in one direction,and to release them on the relative rotation in the other direction.

10. A swivel member having a ratchet-face, a case in which said memberrotates, said case being furnished with openings in its sides; a ratchetmember fastened in the case, having a ratchet-face opposed to the otherratchet-face near said openings, and one or more movable members betweenthe ratchetfaces.

11. In a ratchet-swivel a member having an annular raceway on one sideand a transverse channel on the other side;

12. In a ratchet-swivel a member having one or more inclined Ways on oneface and a transversely-perforated pin on the other face.

13. In a ratchet swivel a tubular ropesocket member having an externalshoulder, a neck above the shoulder and a transverse perforation belowthe shoulder; the bore of said member being enlarged at its lower endand the transverse perforation being at the part where the bore isenlarged.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, at Los Angeles, in the county ofLos Angeles and State of California, this 27th day of October, 1902.

HARRY II. KROI-IN.

Witnesses:

JAMES R. TOWNSEND, JULIA TOWNSEND.

